Surreptitious Selfishness
by Cuzosu
Summary: Jiro is about to find out just how selfish Zelman really is. M for language, violence, gore, and so far that's all that I'm sure of. Lemon will be posted on AFFnet.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I own nothing to do with Black Blood Brothers, except one copy of the series 'cause I couldn't resist the twisted comedy. XD

A ZelmanxJiro fic

written by Cuzosu

Title: Surreptitious Selfishness

Summary: In which Zelman is selfish and Jiro exquisitely polite, while Kane is distracted and Kotaro naïve.

WARNING: M for language, violence and gore, eventual yaoi...and possibly more, not quite sure yet.

A/N: My thanks to my friend Ariel, co-collaborator on another fic and the woman who shared my enthusiasm for this drool-worthy pairing and in character story line. It might have still been done without your enthusiastic demands that I write it so you could read it, but it definitely would have taken much longer.

...

Chapter 1:

Eight hundred years of vampire experience walked the world in the form of Crimson-Eyed Zelman Clock. He was bored. So bored. The most recent entertainment he'd had consisted of the twisted events surrounding the arrival of Jiro Mochizuki, the Silver Blade, and the subsequent infestation Cassandra Jill Warlock had waited for his presence to unleash. She had made it necessary for him to obliterate his entire Affiliate House, which had really pissed him off - and then he'd only barely managed to bite back his rage and let Jiro take on the enemy team as they headed out of the city.

Kotaro was fun, it was true. But for all that he was the renowned Sage's current incarnation, the little blond was still a child. An odd child even for a vampire, and entertaining in small doses, but still a child. And babysitting was so BORING, and Crimson-Eyed Zelman was no one's big brother - unlike Jiro Mochizuki.

Jiro. Now there was an interesting vampire. Powerful, which was enough to earn him some respect right there; vampires who had a lot of power were almost invariably touchy about the most surprising things, and Jiro Mochizuki was no exception. Infamous among his own kind for earning himself the name Kin Killer during the human-vampire war, he was the last one of the group invited into his home that Zelman had expected to be polite to another vampire. But little Kotaro had been the rudest, in a strangely polite way - and yet highly amusing for all his tactlessness - and while the negotiator, Mimiko, had been mostly civil, it was clear even without her occasional outbursts that she didn't want the Old Blood duo to associate at all. As for the Silver Blade himself...he'd had one short, impolite spurt, and then remembered his manners. This had kindled amusement and interest in the flame-wielder. Zelman thought it was probably because he had such strangely strong reactions to such things as Kotaro's manners and his own temporary lack of them. The Kin Killer was the one vampire in the Zone that sparked eight hundred years worth of mostly lost curiosity, and redheaded Old Blood Zelman Clock was nowhere near done figuring him out. Things were just getting interesting, after all, and Zelman was catlike in that he enjoyed toying with his prey - in this case, Jiro.

But Zelman hadn't reached eight centuries of age without being a manipulative bastard, and mostly he was interested in finding out what was most likely to incite rashly snarled words from the younger vampire, so he went to the expert. Kotaro described several instances wherein Jiro had lost his calm outward appearance, mostly caused by the misbehaviors the young boy vehemently denied having disobeyed firm orders to do. Among them was the time he sneezed on the scarf the Northern Princess had just given him, which pissed her off - something Jiro had strictly informed Kotaro he was not to do, and Crow had fully seconded. Then there was the incident on the boat, when Jiro had ordered him to stay put and not let anyone see him, as they were stowaways, and Zelman had heard enough about that one during the suppression team's after-action report to know that the instructions given had not been followed. There were more, but after a few stories they all started sounding the same to the pyro, who let his thoughts wander and eventually drifted towards the Silver Blade's new residence.

Honestly, it amused Zelman that the stolid-seeming Silver Blade had to put up with a "younger brother" like that. It wouldn't have been nearly so amusing had the shoe been on the other foot, as humans were so fond of saying. Sure, Zelman knew that Kotaru was the Sage Alice's new form, but it was doubtful that the hot-tempered vampire could have dealt with being stuck in such a situation without either abandoning his charge or breaking his own bloodline. He also took orders even less well than Jiro, which spoke volumes of his personality. Well, it probably didn't help that he was an intelligent sociopath. Still, Kotaro was quite entertaining...in moderate doses.

Contrary as the cat he moved like, Zelman smiled. He was smug, and had every right to be - he'd gotten the information he wanted, and he had a task he'd set himself to do. Kotaro had no idea the consequences of what he'd done...but he'd face them soon enough.

...

Mimiko opened the door around midnight, only to blink. What was he doing here?

"Um, hello, Mr. Clock," she began, feeling a little faint.

"Zelman," corrected the vampire. Excessive formality had a long-standing habit of either amusing him or annoying him into showing his darker side. And with eight hundred years' history of being a sociopath, he had one hell of a darker side, even for a vampire of the warrior Asura's bloodline. His eyes narrowed. "Is the Silver Blade in?"

"Uh, yeah, just a second..." She leaned around the door to yell, "JIRO! You've got a visitor!" Turning back to the taller redheaded man, she asked, "Would you like to wait outside or in?"

"In," he told her, stepping into what looked like it would be a living room when everything was unpacked. Leaning easily against a wall, he said, "Go ahead and continue with whatever you were doing. I'll just wait here for him." Then he closed his eyes and, to all outward appearances, went to sleep.

Confused, the little negotiator shook her head and did as he'd instructed. Her belongings still needed unpacked, and she had no idea what Jiro and Kotaro thought they were going to do with the kitchen. Knowing them, she shuddered to think of it. They would probably find something utterly disturbing to anyone human, and since she was the one who'd be cooking in it, the brunette was putting her foot down. Strongly. Only she was allowed to decide how the kitchen would be.

Jiro came into the room a few minutes later. "Sorry it took so long," he murmured. "I was putting a lock on the inside of my coffin. Mimiko's penchant for waking vampires up with water is stronger than I'd prefer."

This was said with such straightforward, apologetic politeness that Zelman couldn't help but laugh. It burbled out of him like a little waterfall, splashing humor around the room. Jiro's lips twitched up at the corners, but his eyes were wry.

"It's only amusing until you're on the receiving end," the Silver Blade informed him tonelessly.

Zelman straightened up with an easy smile. "Is that a threat?" he asked lightly. But his eyes darkened.

The Silver Blade snorted softly. "It would be if _she'd_ said it."

One red eyebrow quirked upwards as the flame user grinned confidently, wordlessly telling Jiro that not only was Zelman smug that it was the Mochizuki and not himself that was stuck living with the psychotic little negotiator, but that he wasn't going to lose his temper any time soon. "Water-using negotiator aside, I did come here to ask you something."

_Crimson-Eyed Zelman Clock came to my residence just to ask me a question?_ Jiro wondered. _I would have thought he'd send that woman the Company assigned to him if he wanted to talk to me. He is an Old Blood with eight centuries behind him to have gathered the arrogance typical of so many vampires. But since he obviously took the trouble to come here, I should hear him out._ Jiro gave the redhead his full attention with a polite nod.

"Do enlighten me, then."

Gorgeous red eyes flashed with all the arrogance he hadn't yet shown the older Mochizuki brother as Zelman smirked a challenge. "Would you be willing to have a sparring match with me?"

It took a moment for the words to register. "... Ah, may I ask if you have informed Lord Sei of your intentions?"

Lips thinning with distaste, Zelman stated acidly, "It's none of his business what I do."

Jiro tried a different approach. "Will our match affect the barrier? If so, that sounds like it would be in Lord Sei's purview."

There was a moment when red and black eyes met, clashed. Then Zelman said, "If you're so adamant that he know, then you can tell ONLY the Dragon what our plans are...on one condition: when we spar, don't hold anything back. I can't stand weaklings, and I've been itching for a fight. But if you cannot or will not fight all-out with me, holding back only enough to not land major injuries, then I may as well kill you now."

The Silver Blade bared his fangs in a vicious smile. "Time and place?"

"My grounds; they're empty but for me anyway. Say...as soon as you get done tattling to the Dragon?" Zelman had meant the phrasing to sting his fellow vampire's pride, and it worked - maybe even a little too well.

"Agreed," growled Jiro, a predatory gleam in his eyes.

As Zelman walked away and Jiro got ready to see Lord Sei, the redheaded vampire thought to himself, _Looks like my night just brightened up for a while. This should prove to be entertaining._

...

A/N: Now that you've read, please, leave a review that lets me know what you think.


	2. Chapter 2

Surreptitious Selfishness: a Black Blood Brothers fan fic by Cuzosu

The disclaimer's on the first chapter; if you want to know, read it there.

Chapter 2:

Zelman waited on the grounds he and Jiro had previously eliminated Kowloon Children on. The ones that belonged to the Coven, the vampire House he led, and which had been the site of a bit of conflict between Kowloon children and both the Silver Blade and Crimson-Eyed Zelman. He wasn't patient - much the opposite, in fact. But he wore a casual facade as he waited for the Silver Blade to arrive. Clothed typically, he looked like a modern gangster punk—and he was anything but.

When Jiro stepped onto the grass in the designated arena, he was dressed in his typical red trench coat and formal clothes that also doubled as combat gear. "Ready?" he asked, wasting no time.

The redhead's smile widened. "Forgoing formalities for once? I take it my little comment pissed you off," mocked Zelman, laughing softly to himself.

Jiro lost his temper. Hide Hand technique shaking the very earth they stood upon, he drew the sword he'd been named after and charged. But if there was one thing he should have remembered from his century of experience - other than that Kowloon Children all should die and the Kowloon King was a tricky bastard who apparently could only be killed by the Silver Blade - it was that Old Blood vampires were given nicknames appropriate for their abilities, and Crimson-Eyed Zelman was a flame-using Old Blood with seven more centuries of experience than he had.

Seeing the quick snap of the chains that normally bound the uptight younger vampire to civilized behavior, the redhead summoned fire with his Eye Ignite technique. It surged up around him, covering him but not burning him. His red eyes glowed with the use of power, mischief dancing among the merrily flickering flames. And Zelman smiled.

"_Temper, temper_," he chided, laughter subtly underlining his words. "You're _interesting_, you know. It's been a long time since anything caught my curiosity. So formal, but you can be so _childish_ sometimes, too." Delight etched his words with both interest and entertainment.

It was an uphill struggle, but somehow Jiro reined his temper in, breathing hard more from anger than exertion. "You," Jiro said, ire making him drop the formal 'sir' that would otherwise have gone with it, "are a selfish, unmitigated _ass_."

Zelman blinked. "The tone was politely pissed off, but the words weren't up to your normal standards." He snorted. "If you don't want to spar with me, you could just say so." But they both knew that wasn't what Jiro was angry about.

"No," growled the Silver Blade. "You're the best sparring partner I've had for a while - if you'll quit talking and start fighting." He bared his fangs in a challenge.

"Oh, now isn't that a civilized way of asking who's the better fighter," laughed Zelman. "For future reference, you might be more careful in your wishes." And fire roared up to surround the arena, though the redhead adeptly kept it from touching the mansion.

Jiro took that as a signal - and charged for his opponent with a fierce grin. His charge was met with a feisty smirk and whips of fire that crackled and snapped at him. He crouched to duck one arching for his head, sword sweeping forward in an attempt to drop his fellow vampire on his ass.

But Zelman Clock was one savvy fighter, and he'd seen Jiro in combat before. So he jumped over his opponent's namesake and sent fire billowing into the opening made by the extended sword arm. Jiro cursed and rolled away, bringing his sword up in a thrust as his momentum stopped. Its tip kissed Zelman's neck lightly, not even drawing blood - but it had the effect of halting the redhead's flames just in front of his face. There was a moment of frozen silence.

"Heh," smirked Zelman. "Pretty canny, for one as young as you."

This comment sparked Jiro's ire, as evidenced by the vein throbbing at his temple. "Pretty arrogant, for someone who hasn't beaten me yet."

The words were taken the way they were meant: as a challenge. Crimson-Eyed Zelman narrowed his eyes and sent fire chasing after the younger vampire, who was immediately on his feet and dodging. Jiro whirled his blade in a circle, deflecting most the flames with the wind off the sword so as to not melt his weapon. Zelman lit fires seemingly at random around the grounds, forcing the Silver Blade to stand only in certain areas or be aflame. Then he sparked roaring infernos that spiraled rapidly in Jiro's direction.

Jiro barely managed to duck them - they were fast and aimed approximately at his torso. He heard an impact, but it didn't occur to him that Zelman had still been controlling the flames, because none had changed course and gone after him. He rose to his feet with a glare at the smirking redhead.

Then a tree fell on him.

Zelman chuckled. "Don't even _try_ to tell me I haven't beaten you now. You couldn't dodge an attack from under the tree, and you're not good with fire." Most vampires weren't good with fires, Crimson-Eyed Zelman Clock being the exception.

Muffled muttering came from beneath said tree, and Zelman deigned to burn away three quarters of what was on top of the younger vampire even as the Mochizuki detached what was directly atop him from the rest of the remnants. Jiro rose, snorted dirt out of his nose, and looked impressively furious. Zelman smiled.

"I win."

The Silver Blade growled, "Rematch."

"Maybe later," the redhead told him calmly.

"NOW."

Somewhat annoyed, Zelman graced him with a scathingly irked yet quelling sneer that was more in the eyes than anything else. "Not right now. I'm hungry, and you should probably eat, too. Kotaro would give me a headache trying to chew me out if I let you go back home without eating to replenish your energy." A smile flitted across his lips. "Blood would be better, but your compromiser lays down strict rules, and for some reason you follow them." _That sense of honor, perhaps?_

Jiro couldn't find an argument that would win against that, so he grumbled but allowed the redhead to lead him to an all-night diner, where they ordered separately before sitting down to eat. Zelman had a large dish of something called General Tso's Chicken* that was a mouth-watering mix of sweet and spicy flavors. The older Mochizuki brother had ordered cashew chicken, and was polite even as he ate, much to Zelman's amusement.

...

Stomach sated even if his pride was not, Jiro sat back with a sigh. "Why me?" he asked, not expecting an answer.

"You're the first person I've met in seven centuries who's raised my curiosity enough to motivate me. I was vaguely curious about the Sage Alice, but not enough to go meet her - and now I know Kotaro, and he's certainly amusing, if a pest. Entertaining, oh, _absolutely_. But you...you're both interesting _and_ dangerous, and that's a combination I find I really can't resist looking into." Zelman hid amusement at Jiro's confused expression. "Besides," he smirked, "I was bored."

This made Jiro go from confused to angry, and it was all Zelman could do not to laugh. He'd been aiming to get a reaction from the Silver Blade, and this was _definitely_ a reaction.

"I'd appreciate it if you'd refrain from calling on me just because you're bored," Jiro stated coldly. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm leaving."

"And if I _don't_ excuse you?" drawled the redhead. He was trying not to laugh.

Jiro stiffened. "Then you're the selfish bastard I took you for in the beginning," he hissed.

Zelman waved a hand. "We've already covered the fact that I'm selfish, Silver Blade. It was something we discussed the first time we met. Remember? Kotaro asked if I was one of the bad guys, and I said that, as it seemed to me that bad guys have more fun, yes, that was the side I was on."

"Yes, I remember that," growled Jiro.

"Well, it seems to me that those on your side - not the side of good, but those specifically on your team - have more fun yet, whether or not they're actually good people. So I suppose you could say I'm not a bad guy now, and never have been; the only side I'm on is my own, and if that means I have more fun around you and your allies, then guess where my side is? You already know I'm in this for fun." Zelman smirked. "Of course, if you die I'll just go back to being a bad guy for lack of anyone interesting enough to make me turn on my own kind." _Not that I really HAVE a kind, because there's only one of me and anyone else who aspires to be me is a fool. There's not room for two of me._ It was all in the ego...

His words baffled Jiro again. "... Could you explain that a little more?"

"By joining your side, I'm being evil in that I'm turning on my own 'kind.'" His tone made a mockery of the word. _Kin? As if._ "And by explaining this to others, I get to amuse myself watching their expressions, because no one who's not evil will understand - and the ones who are evil and do understand will be enraged that they're not powerful enough to make me do otherwise." He chuckled at the thought.

Now Jiro had a headache. He didn't understand that reasoning. Zelman, for his part, didn't bother to muffle his snickers at the black-haired vampire's incomprehension and consequent frustration. So Jiro made to leave, attempting to ignore the redhead's blatant amusement and failing miserably.

...

As the unlikely duo walked back to Jiro's new residence - Zelman was sure it had probably been a warehouse at some point - they noticed the Lord Dragon's servant, Cain Warlock, heading in the opposite direction. Nothing would have come of it except that none of the three were really paying attention, and so Cain and Jiro ran into each other. It was only a partial contact, but Jiro, being the smaller of the two, rebounded into Zelman even as he twisted like a cat in an attempt to break his fall. Cain, meanwhile, hit a nearby street lamp and used it to steady himself, but...

Jiro's twisting bumped Zelman sideways enough that he sprawled gracelessly on his back instead of on his side, and the older Mochizuki brother landed straddling him. There was a moment of stunned silence as the three processed this. Then Jiro's face turned red as he jumped to his feet and began gushing profuse apologies while demanding to know why Cain hadn't been watching where he was going.

Zelman totally missed this in favor of having a revelation: Jiro's reactions were _priceless_ entertainment. And he'd been so embarrassed about the compromising position of their landing that it made the redhead wonder how he'd react in a purposefully compromising situation. _I will see every reaction the Silver Blade has,_ the flame-wielder promised himself.

He returned to the present just in time to catch the last of Cain's apology. Waving it off, he said, "Come on, Silver Blade. I want to see if your brother's around. There's something I'd like to talk to him about."

No matter how sneakily he phrased it or asked about it, Jiro Mochizuki couldn't get an explanation from the obstreperous redhead. Behind them, Cain frowned at their backs, wondering if he should try to find out what Crimson-Eyed Zelman had in mind - or if he should leave it up to the Lord Dragon. The deciding factor? Sei would have a better chance of getting an answer. The ruler of the House of Dark, aka the Coven, had little respect for Cain - likely this was a mixture of the redhead's sociopathic nature and dislike of lackeys in general.

...

Zelman made sure that Jiro wasn't listening by asking Kotaro if he'd like to go for a walk with him the next night while Mimiko and the older Mochizuki ran an errand. Kotaro, for his part, agreed with guileless enthusiasm.

"Would you mind if your brother liked me, instead of that negotiator girl?" was the first question asked. He thought asking it this way was less likely to completely freak the boy out.

"You're not planning to make Mimiko disappear, are you? 'cause she's fun to play with and I like her."

"Hm? No, I wouldn't make her disappear. She might not be happy with me - I think she likes your brother - but I wouldn't make her disappear. In fact, you might see me more often; I might spend some days with your brother, if all goes well."**

Kotaro evidently thought this was awesome, and cheered happily until Zelman told him to keep it a secret. The boy agreed with earnest eagerness, and it baffled the redhead why the youngster would obey him so readily when he had a tendency of disobeying his brother so often. But Kotaro swore a binding oath, and perhaps that was what made the difference; Jiro was a fairly lenient brother.

...

*I think that's how you spell the guy's name, but if I'm wrong, let me know. I've eaten it before, and I don't normally like spicy foods, but I liked this.

**This IS appropriate phrasing; they're vampires, people. Well, except Mimiko. She's human. But vampires spend their nights up and about, not in bed.

...

...

...

A/N: Now that you've read, please let me know what you think.


	3. Author's Note

Author's Note:

Sorry to stick it here like this, but I felt y'all could use a little notification real quick. Certain of my stories, the ones with explicit content, are going to either be removed entirely or have chapters removed. I'm sorry, but I'd rather not lose my entire account here, since the site authorities are on a removal spree. So the stories I'm removing from here will be moved to , where I have the same username (Cuzosu) and will therefore be easy to find.

For those of you who've been waiting a while for updates, I'm so, so sorry this isn't a chapter. I'm trying, but sometimes the writing just doesn't flow right.


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